Road To Wolverine - Day 1 West Virginia
There is an optimism required to pack a Mustang for a multiday road trip. It begins with believing everything will fit and ends with two people negotiating with luggage as if it might eventually see reason. Somehow, Lizzie and I crammed it all in. Space was limited, but once the engine started, practicality seemed much less important.
We pulled away under a blue sky with a full tank of gas and enough true-crime podcasts to make us suspicious of everyone in America. The city slipped behind us, the highway opened ahead, and the trip became real.
We passed through Columbia and Charlotte, settling into the rhythm of a long drive: highway, conversation, murder mystery, gas station, repeat. The Mustang’s appetite demanded pit stops, but each one meant we were farther from home and closer to somewhere new.
As the landscape rose around us, broad highways narrowed into worn mountain roads. Deeper in West Virginia, construction reduced one stretch to a single lane. Progress slowed, but the views improved… green ridges, towering clouds, and forests pressing close. “Wild and Wonderful” no longer felt like a slogan. It felt like directions.
Seven hours after leaving home, we reached Arete Hostel, a rustic wooden lodge tucked among the trees. Salsa, a small dog with the confidence of a seasoned concierge, greeted us at the car and supervised check-in. Later, she raced across the lawn with a blue ball while a fluffy cat, Fox, watched from the stairs with deep skepticism.
Johnny, Arete’s host and Salsa’s manager, showed us around and helped us settle into the Cloud Suite. We ordered dinner from town and ended Day One tired, happy, and surrounded by the quiet woods. Cramped luggage, ominous podcasts, enormous skies, and one excellent canine concierge: an exciting success and a wonderful beginning.
